Windmill



(No Model.) 2 sneets- -sh'e'eti'.

F. A'. FRANKLIN.

WINDMIVLLQM M Patented Apr. 10, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

FRANK A. FRANKLIN, OF vA svILLE, WISCONSIN.

WINDMlLL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,854, dated April 10, 1894.

Application filed April 3, 1893. Serial No. 468,852. (N model.)

To aZZ whom it ma ty concern: I Be. it known .that l, FRANK A. FRANKLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing .at Evansville, in the, county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful,lmprovements in Windmills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others'skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the'same. My present invention relates to various new and useful improvements in steel wind-mills,

' and the particular features of these mills to which the invention specially relates are the wind wheels thereof and the governing mechanism for such wheels.

' The objects of the invention are to provide and produce a wind-wheel which can be constructed economically, which can be set up easily, which will be effective in use, and

which will be rigid in construction.

Concerning the governing mechanism for this mill, the object thereof is to provide a simple and efiective means wherebya proper pro-determined speed of the wind-wheel will be maintained under all suitable conditions.

For a better comprehension of my invention, attention is directedito the accompanying drawings, forming' afpart of this specification, and in Which Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of the wind-wheel, illustrating the governing mechanism thereof. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the windwheel and its connections, and Fig. 3 is a modification of the governing apparatus.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are designated by the same letters of reference.

The improved wind-wheel consists of a circular outer rim A r'nade preferably of flat steel or other metal, of proper diameter. This rim is sustained at suitable points by metal spokes B i B each of which is made preferably of a single barof steel bent in the shape shown in Fig. 2. The free ends of each of the spokes B are riveted or bolted to a spider 0 made preferably of cast metal and whichis keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft D. Each of the spokes of the supporting arms B is braced a-short distance from the spider O by means of a cross piece E riveted or bolted thereto (see Fig. 2). v

F is an inner rim for the wheel, made preferably of flat steel and this inner rim is bolted or otherwise secured either to the top orto the under side of the cross pieces E.

This inner rim, it will be noticed, tends to further support the spokes B.

G G are the fans of the wheel, each fan being supported on a shaft a, bearing between the inner rim F and the outer rim.A so as to turn readily therein.

b'and c are supporting castings secured at right angles adjacent to the outer and to the inner ends of each-of the shafts a. d is the body portion of each fan, made preferably of sheet steel or iron and riveted or otherwise secured to the castings b and wind pressure and a very rigid construction.v

of Wheel-is thereby obtained. r

The governing mechanism for this windwheel will now be described. Briefly considered, this governing mechanism consists of a series of governing weights connected tothe fans, whereby, when the wind-wheel reaches a high rate of speed, the governing weights.

will be thrown outward by centrifugal force so as to move the fans at a sharper angle to the wind, whereby a smaller wind surface will be exposed and the speed of the'wheel will thereby be slackened.

H H represent the governing arms, each of which is hinged to the innerrim F. In the wind-wheel shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I make use of a governer'for each fan and that construction will be first described. On the end of each governing arm H is a weight I of suitable size. Each governing arm H is provided with a lug e thereon, and connecting each of these lugs e with each fan at its lower end at one side is a connecting-rod f. Bell levers g g are mounted in suitable supporting hangers h and connected to the spider O at suitable points, preferably directly in line with every third governing arm. Pivoted to the horizontal arm of each bell lever g is a casting i provided therein with sockets j j 3' each socket being directly in line with one of the governing levers H. K is a connecting arm extending down from each governing arm H and entering the socket j directly in line with the same,being held in said socket by a set screw l. The vertical arm of each of the bell levers g is connected by means of a connecting rod to the shipper swivel n having a circumferential groove thereon. Mounted within this groove is a collar W? provided preferably at its top with a lug p thereon. A shipper rod q connects with the lug p and is to be operated from the ground in any suitable way.

From the construction just described, the operation of the improved governing mechanism can be readily understood. All of the governing weights '6 are connected together through the connecting rods k, castings b and 0, bell levers g and connecting rods m and the shipper swivel n, so that said governing weights counter-balance each other and there is no tendency of the said governing weights to be operated when the wheel is at rest. When the wheel turns howeverand reaches a high rate of speed, the

governing weights I will be thrown outward by centrifugal force and the connecting rod f will be operated so that the fans G will be thrown more or less into the wind, wherebya smaller wind surface will be exposed, and in this way the speed of the wheel will be lessened and it will thereby attain a certain proper speed irrespective of the velocity of the wind.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 3 is intended to do away with the necessity of providing a governing weight for each fan, and shows the use of one governor for three fans. In this modification I make use of a governing lever H, a governing weight I, a connecting rod f, connected to the edge of one of the fans and a connecting rod connected to the bell lever g as in the construction above described. In this modification, however,I make use of a connecting rod 1' which connects the ends of three of the fans so that when one of these fans is operated by the governing weight I the other two fans will be moved in the same way by means of the connecting rod 0*. It will be understood that this connecting rod 0" may extend to more than three fans or that it may be used to connect and to control only two of the fans.

Having now described my invention,what I claim as new therein, and desire to-secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a wind-mill, the combination with a wind-wheel substantiallyas described, of governing levers H pivoted to the inner rim of said wind-wheel, a governing. weight I on the end of each governing arm H, a connecting rod f connecting said governing arm H with the fans of said wind-wheel, a connecting rod 7c connecting said governing weights with bell levers g, the connecting arms m connecting said bell levers g with shipping swivel n and a shipping lever connected with the said shippingswivel substantially as set forth.

2. In a wind-mill, a wind-wheel, composed of the outer rim A, the double supporting spokes B secured to the spider O, the cross pieces E, the inner rim F secured to said cross pieces, the shafts a mounted between said inner rim F and said'outer rim A, the castings b and c on the outer and inner ends of each shaft, the fan (1 bolted or riveted'to said castings b and a, in combination with governing weights I connected to the fansthereof, said governing weights being connected together so as to counter balance. each other when at rest, substantially as set forth.-

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. FRANKLIN. Witnesses:

J. H. BENNEY, WM. HALSTEAD. 

